RFID performance deficiencies discovered in recent high profile applications have highlighted the danger of selecting only passive tags for an application because of their lowest cost relative to other types of RFID tags. Consequentially, battery-based RFID technologies are being considered to fill those performance gaps. A mix of both passive and battery-based RFID technologies can provide a more cost effective and robust solution than a homogeneous RFID deployment. However, it is easy to choose the wrong battery-based RFID technology given the confusing array of choices currently available. This paper explores the performance deficiencies of both passive and battery-based RFID technologies. A new micro-wireless technology that resolves these performance deficiencies is then introduced. Finally an application example is presented that demonstrates how the new technology can also seamlessly roam between passive and battery-based RFID infrastructures at the lowest possible cost to bridge their respective performance gaps.